conference team came into Boise and beat the Bronc

conference team came into Boise and beat the Bronc

Sydney coach John Longmire will keep paying no heed to his players birth certificates after his youthful AFL sides survival of a torrid challenge from a spirited Carlton at the SCG.Lance Franklin bted four goals on Saturday afternn as Sydney eked out a 10.14 (74) to 10.8 (6 victory.After four losses by 10 points or less, the Swans held on against a combative Carlton, who emerged with plenty of credit despite suffering a sixth straight loss.Eight of the Swans were 22 or younger and nine had played less than 30 games. When you lk at the make-up of our team, those blokes were getting untold experiences, Longmire said.You can talk about it, you can even rehearse it and do a lot of things, but theres nothing like living something - being able to have those experiences which hopefully will hold them in gd stead.Asked if he could afford to field such a young side leading into the finals, Longmire said: we wanted to play our best team regardless of the birth certificates; we wanted to play the players that were in form and playing well.Thats what well continue to do.The Blues pressured Sydney and went toe-to-toe with the Swans deep midfield brigade.They led by three points at the first change and eight at halftime.Sydney lked to have made a decisive surge by scoring the first 28 points of the second half, including four goals.Trailing by 20, Carlton dug in and kicked the last two goals of the term to trail by just seven at the final change.The Blues had much of the play in the final quarter but couldnt convert that into points against the competitions stingiest defence.The third quarter was one where I think we were trying to be a little bit t precise under pressure with the ball and missed some opportunities to go forward and take ground, Carlton coach Brendon Bolton said.Were proud of our progress, but by far not satisfied with close losses.Youngsters Aliir Aliir and Xavier Richards started well for Sydney, whose third-quarter lift was sparked by Isaac Heeney and Gary Rohan, each of whom had a quiet first half. Rohan finished with eight possessions, but pulled off eight tackles.He doesnt have to have a lot of the ball to have an impact on the team and the opposition and thats what he did, Longmire said.What got us right in the hunt in that third quarter was pretty simple fty.It wasnt a lot of technical work ... it was just our fierce energy and contest.Josh Kennedy starred for the Swans with 35 possessions (23 contested) and 12 clearances, with Jake Lloyd accumulating 26 touches and Luke Parker 24 disposals and two goals.Four players tallied more than 30 touches for Carlton with Patrick Cripps notching 32, 22 of them contested, 12 tackles and 11 clearances.Ed Curnow was their only multiple goalkicker with two majors.Bolton said Charlie Curnow would require a scan on a knee injury and expected him to miss multiple games. Stan Smith España . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Stan Smith Baratas .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. http://www.stansmithbaratas.es/ .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. Comprar Stan Smith Baratas . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. Stan Smith Baratas España . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. For a brief stretch of last season, Boise State lost its way.Coach Bryan Harsins usually methodical program suffered a brief lapse and with it went the Broncos spot as the dominant power in the Mountain West Conference.We needed to focus a little bit better than we did last year, Harsin said. Also understand that we werent a surprise to anybody when we played.Losses to New Mexico and Air Force last November served as a turning point. Boise States response to missing out on the Mountain West title -- beating San Jose State and then routing Northern Illinois 55-7 in the Poinsettia Bowl -- gave Harsin the belief that the resolve needed for the Broncos to remain a power in their conference and in the national discussion was still there.What I think you saw the last two games ... was the kind of ftball team that we want to be, Harsin said. And hopefully that will continue and carry over. Thats who we are.The potential is there for another special season on the blue turf. Offensively, the Broncos have three of the top talents in the Mountain West with sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien, running back Jeremy McNichols and wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck. They also return an experienced offensive line.The question will be its defense. The Broncos are fine at linebacker with Ben Weaver and Tanner Vallejo, but are inexperienced on the defensive line and in the secondary. And that secondary will get tested early, namely Week 2 when the Broncos host Washington State, their most challenging non-conference opponent.ENCORE, ENCORE: Rypien wasnt supposed to play last season. The plan was to redshirt the quarterback. When Ryan Finley went down with an injury, Harsin immediately turned to Rypien. He responded by throwing for 3,353 yards and 20 touchdowns in his college debut.Rypien was helped by McNichols, who ran for 1,337 yards and 20 touchdowns, and Sperbeck was his favorite target. Even though it came in a loss, Sperbeck set a Boise State record with 20 catches against New Mexico. That trio should be able to help carry the Broncos offense early while their defense maatures.ddddddddddddYOUTH SERVED: Linebacker is not an issue for the Broncos. Its elsewhere on the defense where Boise State is counting on new faces to get up to speed in a hurry. The defensive line has some experience on the edge but little playing time among the possible interior linemen. In the secondary, cornerback Jonathan Moxey and safety Chanceller James return but the rest are inexperienced. Getting the secondary solidified is a priority.I think they have to mature, Harsin said. I think our entire team does. ... Ive seen an experienced side of the ball be crummy and an inexperienced side be dumb enough to go out there and dominate. I hope we all have this rkie mentality.SEASON OPENER: Youth is the theme of Boise States defense entering the season and it may get tested right away. The Broncos open at Louisiana with former LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings the presumptive starter for the Ragin Cajuns. Boise State understd its new secondary was going to get tested against Washington State in Week 2 but the opener could be a litmus test of where the young Broncos defensive backs are in their development.KEY GAMES: The last time a non-conference team came into Boise and beat the Broncos in a regular-season game was 2001 when Washington State won 41-20. The Cougars provide Boise State its first challenge, but the toughest stretch for the Broncos comes in mid-October. The Broncos travel to New Mexico, host Colorado State and then five days later host BYU. Survive that stretch and the Broncos may not be challenged again until the season finale at Air Force.PREDICTION: The schedule is set up for Boise State to be part of the national conversation. The Broncos two toughest non-conference games -- Washington State and BYU -- are at home. They avoid San Diego State until the Mountain West title game at the earliest. Expect Boise State to find a way into the Mountain West title game but with a stumble somewhere along the way. ' ' '